King Joao II of Portugal “O Principe Perfeito” and the Jews (1481-1495)

Abstract

King João II (1481-1495) is chiefly remembered in Portuguese historiography as the first “modern” King of Portugal and a monarch who vigorously worked to restore the status of the Portuguese Crown, weakened during the reign of his father Afonso V (1438-1481). In Jewish historiography, however, João II has become infamous for his persecution of the Jews who came to Portugal after their expulsion from Castile in 1492 as well as his order to seize Jewish children from their parents so that they could be converted to Christianity and sent to colonize the Island of São Tomé. Using Hebrew, Spanish and Portuguese sources, this article examines in detail the nature of the relations that existed between João II and the Jews, both those who were natives of Portugal as well as the Jewish exiles from Castile.